Wednesday, September 9, 2015

decorataholics anonymous


So I have some observations and also some questions that don't necessarily have a right or wrong answer.

Or any answer at all really.

 And just so you know, I'm writing this with complete honesty and without any snark intended. 

Or not much anyway.

I'm always a little snarky ;)



Anywho...

For those of you that have been around Blogland a long time, like I have...

Is it weird that this little world of ours has kind of turned into what I like to call "decorataholics anonymous"? 

To clarify, (as you old timers know) back in the old RMS days (HGTV's Rate My Space site for you newbies) and early blogging days, we were friends that just wanted to share our latest finds. We loved to add touches to our homes here and there, and of course we'd decorate for the holidays every year, and sometimes we'd have a big renovation we'd share.

We'd even share our joys and heartbreaks.

And although, there are quite a few of us that still do this, times have changed.

Side note:

Stick with me.

I'm not really trying to wax poetic about the old days.

I think I've done quite enough of that ;)



In the last few years, Blogland has turned up a whole other blogger that builds up a room, tears it down and then builds it up again, yearly. 

I mean, I can understand changing a paint color after a certain amount of time, or updating a room when you're sick of it, or changing out pieces of furniture or nicknacks all the time. 

After all we are bloggers ;)

 But gutting something like a kitchen, down to the studs, that they supposedly loved after it was redone only to start all over again?

In a year?? 

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

It used to be, in the dark ages, unless you redid your home yourself, that you would hire a professional designer that would come in and decorate your home for profit. 

Either way, it lasted for at least five years and sometimes a whole lot longer.

Sometimes, horror of horror, for 20 years or even 30!

Gasp!



Now, with blogs, everyone is a decorator and they seem to be redoing their own homes over and over again, instead of others peoples homes (for the most part), and vying for advertisers or a spot in a magazine.

We (as in bloggers in general, not me) have actually almost replaced the magazine and turned into something else entirely and the advertisers know it.

"Everyone" is an expert and the more popular bloggers are, the more people listen, and all their homes are either starting to look the same or they're trying to one up each other to start a new trend.

Don't you think that's odd?



Of course, I really have nothing to say about it. I'm not a decorator and I don't have a decorating blog per se, I'm just in the middle of an extremely slow renovation. 

Heck, to be totally honest, I'm just a girl that loves her old house and likes to share it in the hopes that my love of old homes will rub off on at least a few people and they'll be encouraged to save some poor old dilapidated house, and that they'll understand how important it is.

Well, that and I love visiting with all my sweet friends in Blogland. 

That probably won't speak to me after this.

Ahem.

Love you!



 But once my rooms are done, they're pretty much done with the exception of, for example, a new lamp or a new chair, but only because I want to make the one I have work, until I have the right thing. But you won't see me pulling out all the kitchen cabinets in my home only to keep redoing it incessantly.

Pffft.... these 1930s cabinets are here to stay! ;)

For all the love that people profess of reuse and recycle, we certainly seem to be a throwaway group.



Anywho...

I've also noticed that a lot of the bloggers that I loved finally gave up when the competition became too much. Or at least that's the gist I've gotten from some emails I've received from old friends. 

Competition.

God knows I'm not here for that.

LOL



And for those of you that are somewhat new to blogging, 

Does all of this seem odd to you as well? 

I know quite a few of you have made apologies for not being as wonderful as you think you should be. 

I think that's sad.

Blogland is or was supposed to be a place where you can share what you want no matter what.

A place to be yourself and not a copy of someone else.

Perhaps even an inspiration to others that share the same loves that you do.

As I've said before, it's your home to do with it as you want. 

There is no competition for a place called home. 

Unless I guess it's only there to make money. 

That's up to you.

No judging here.

If not, just enjoy yourselves.

Please.

There's a lot of us that just want to share and be heard and make friends.

If the advertisers come that's great.

Nothing wrong with making a little extra change ;)

If not though, it doesn't mean that you don't have someone out there that loves your stye and loves what you do.

We're all individuals and we all like different things and there's always someone out there that shares that love.

Even if the majority doesn't.

It's YOUR home.

Love it.

No matter what.


xo
rue


PS

Before everyone gets in a snit and tears anyone down, let me just say that there's nothing wrong with redoing your home over and over, if that's what you're into. This is just an observation of mine that I don't understand.

Please be nice :)


PPS

All wildflowers in this post are courtesy of my backyard :)

65 comments:

  1. I never want to be one of those blog followers that acts like a huge fan...yes, yes, yes...you are so right. But in this case I think you have nailed a lot of issues. I don't see as much of redoing, redoing the same rooms as I see all these decorating blogs following trends...burlap, geometrical or lattice rugs, white painted kitchen cabinets, pillows and throws in abundance. I just want originality. But it's a competition to get in magazines for the most part. And God knows the magazines need not look any further than bloggers for their features or advertisements.

    I like a well rounded blog, always have and that's what I strive to be. I'm pretty transparent, you get what you get. I still love to look at some of the big blogs and their ideas, they aren't all that bad and some have fulfilled a dream of making money without leaving their home office. Kudos to them---I might have loved that back in the day when I had 4 ankle biters around.

    I do get your point, Rue, making rooms over and over. Sad, but in a sense, I think these bloggers do it for recognition and profit. What can you do except turn the other way?

    Fantastic post. You are always on spot.

    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know you're not like that and I notice that too Jane.It seems that once upon a time we loved to take a little here and there from everyone and make it our own, but now most everyone is trying to copy it down to the last trinket. Originality, for the most part, seems to have disappeared. It's sad really that people are afraid to be themselves and funny that people congratulate me on being different. In reality, I just don't know how to be anything else ;)

      I love your blog and you. I think it's wonderful that you express yourself the way you want to. Please don't ever change.

      (((hugs)))
      rue

      Delete
  2. I haven't encountered the redoing blogs you're talking about. But what I have seen (I have been blogging for a couple of years, with long breaks in between) is the competition, the urge to find more followers. Its not like in the old days, people just talking about what they're doing/thinking and sharing pictures. So I only follow blogs that are true to what blogging is supposed to be like, at least for me.

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  3. I don't a year is enough time to enjoy something you've redone. I get enjoyment out of what I redo for years to come. I just redid my bedroom and I don't think it will be redone for at least 10-15 years.

    When I first started blogging, I wanted to grow my blog huge and possible earn advertiser money. Now, after blogging a couple of years, I've come to realize that I don't enjoy sponsored posts very much. And how much the big bloggers can't say, parts of their life they can't share because someone is paying them to reach a certain group of readers. I'm focused now on just being me and enjoying the fact that I don't pander to anyone, just me. My blog will grow if it grows, and if doesn't, that's ok too. Not that there's anything wrong with being paid to blog, I think that's wonderful too :)

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  4. I have only been around Blog Land for a few years but I noticed the trends fairly early on. Chevron, Burlap, Chalkboards, EAT signs, etc. After awhile everyone's started looking the same...so I ventured away from decor blogs for more variety. I like to see decor but not all of the time. I prefer a lifestyle blog, or in the summer I want to see your gardens. I like to visit quilting blogs, and nature / photography ones.
    If you tell me you have kids but show rooms that look as if no one lives there...as if the kids are sleeping out in a shed...if you do that constantly, you just bored me to tears. For that I can flip through ( and not buy ) a magazine in a grocery store! :)
    Well that's my take on it and it's just my own tastes and preferences.
    You have a nice variety here...as does Jane who I see commented above. Those are the sort of blogs that I am attracted to. I want to see Jane's new chair, ( or whatever ) but I also want to see little Elsie! : )

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have only been around Blog Land for a few years but I noticed the trends fairly early on. Chevron, Burlap, Chalkboards, EAT signs, etc. After awhile everyone's started looking the same...so I ventured away from decor blogs for more variety. I like to see decor but not all of the time. I prefer a lifestyle blog, or in the summer I want to see your gardens. I like to visit quilting blogs, and nature / photography ones.
    If you tell me you have kids but show rooms that look as if no one lives there...as if the kids are sleeping out in a shed...if you do that constantly, you just bored me to tears. For that I can flip through ( and not buy ) a magazine in a grocery store! :)
    Well that's my take on it and it's just my own tastes and preferences.
    You have a nice variety here...as does Jane who I see commented above. Those are the sort of blogs that I am attracted to. I want to see Jane's new chair, ( or whatever ) but I also want to see little Elsie! : )

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love how you can make me laugh and make a valid point at the same time. :-) I agree with you completely! Last Christmas I had to chuckle because I kept seeing the same PB pillow in blog after blog. It was like my junior high kiddos having to have THE name brand tennis shoes of the season.

    One of the reasons I started blogging was because I couldn't find a blog that was like MY life. I like to think of my blog's mission statement as that old Beverly Cleary quote: "If you can't find the book you want to read on the shelf, write it." My life does not fit the typical blogger mold. I'm divorced so there's no handy hubby to help me do projects. I don't have lots of money to spend on frivolous things because I'm divorced...ha! I am by nature a thrifty person, so I like to challenge myself to do things as inexpensively as I can. I mainly write for the ten people in the world who might be like me. :-)

    Thanks for the great food for thought!

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  7. Great post Rue ~ I've been blogging 7 years now and the blogs that I truly enjoy are the ones that are 'reality' not a stage set that looks exactly like some other stage down the line.

    Competition was never something I enjoyed, even less now. I am who I am. Eclectic, living frugally, our haven here filled with our life and loving memories. I've changed some things around since losing my dear husband, to make them work better for me, but for the most part, not much has changed.

    You have to have a lot of 'moola' to gut rooms and change them every year or so. What a waste of time and money! Where is the enjoyment if you are always thinking of how to outdo your competitors all the time? Where is the joy of living in the moment, taking time to reflect, etc.

    I like gardening, cooking,, photography, nature, needleworking and other crafts. I like reading about blogger's real lives, it makes them more real, not just an automaton off some assembly line.

    I enjoy seeing some good ideas on decorator type blogs, but for the most part, they leave me feeling like something is missing and that is 'life'.

    Just my 2 cents worth. I am who I am, weird though I be, not following along.

    Enjoy your own life and style of living. You inspire me as well as many others.

    Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  8. Oh, Rue, I agree! My old house is my old house. Sometimes I get something new for it (like the great old rocking chair I found) but mostly it is as is and always will be other than "spiffing" up now and again. And as much as I love dishes, don't get me started on tables capes! Where do they keep it all?

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  9. I honestly couldn't have said it any better.

    As for me and the seasons I have ALWAYS decorated for four seasons, so I haven't changed one bit.

    I just think the Big Bloggers ARE in competition - and they're compensated and given lots of free things to "sell" the newest latest greatest thing.............so it's understandable. Wasteful? Yeup, more than a bit.....but understandable.

    To Thine Own Self Be True. Good way to be and to stay or to return to becoming again.

    Well written, ma'am. ♥

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  10. They way I get around redecorating or remodeling a room over and over again is to buy a house, fix it up, live in it a couple of years, sell it and then do it all over again. House whispering is what I do. And yes, I do it for a profit, but not a "blog" profit. And yes I was one of the bloggers that was fortunate enough to be featured in a magazine. I was honored actually. But I don't buy homes, fix them up and sell them to be in a magazine. I do it for a living. I post blog posts about it. I love before and after photos and think others do too. But I also post about my garden, my community, the apple orchard I went to, the meal I cooked last night etc.

    So there you have it. Another side of the story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Penny...I have to say...you DO not redo room after room as Rue and a lot of us have issues with. You move from one house to another with your own original style and using most of the same pieces you've had for years. You have superb taste and style. I think Rue was truly getting at the profit benefits some bloggers make in following trends to appeal to publications and to get freebies. I've never seen you do anything remotely like this. When you've been published it's been because your are unique, refreshing and stylish!

      Love to you,

      Jane x

      Delete
  11. I love it, when you have observations!!!!!!

    Now, to read them!!!!!!

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  12. I guess that the blogs that I read don't go in for this sort of thing, which is just as well as that isn't my sort of thing! I do redo things, such as our bedroom, but that was because we had water damage and because it was last done over a decade ago! So that isn't too bad is it! Plus most of it is staying the same! I do rearrange ornaments and so on, but they are the same things, I just move them about! I guess that sounds pretty sad doesn't it, but it isn't the same as keeping on buying new ones! xx

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  13. I'm reading and commenting, as I go along... :-)
    ---------------------

    Completely re-do, year after year???? Are you kidding...???

    Hire a decorator???? Are you kidding...???

    We have a right to say what we want, in our blog!!!

    Thank you! I have felt a little weird, because we do not change things. We have our home comfy. And we don't feel the need, to 'make changes.' But really, that is a wee bit weird, in so much of Pretty Blog Land.

    If home decorating competition is the name of the game, I am sitting on the bench. ,-))))

    The flowers are lovely, simple, soft, gentle, perfection. thank you for the photos.

    And may I add one more bit, here? My own? I am so very, very, very tired of adds on blogs. I am, I am, I am. Do people really make enough $$$, to make readers put up with these adds?

    OK! Thank you! I love, love,love these kinds of your posts!!!!!!!! Love 'em!!!

    Hugs,
    Tessa

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  14. You hit a topic which I agree with you fully, but I know "you" and "I" get the best compliments from our visitors how they love our home, it is so warm and it is "us". I blog because it is a journal for me. Have a wonderful day!

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  15. Oh, I'm with you there honey. I only remodeled the kitchen in my house one time. I loved to paint. That was the extent of my changes, an easy, peasy way to change things up every few years. I loved my small home. It was my haven. We sold the place we raised our children in and moved where they are now after 30 years. We live an apt but hope to buy a house in a year or so. Like you, I grew tired of the competition. My blog started out of grief, my sharing my parent's loss and life story. It became a way of sharing my finds and my favorites. Then I started noticing how many followers and comments others had, etc. etc. etc. It no longer became fun. Then I realized that having a few followers who became really friends was what it was all about and fooey with the others. Now, it's just a portrait of who I am. I once had someone write me and say she liked my blog but I needed to change a few things, blah, blah, blah. She went on to say that I should show pics of my children and grandchildren because of the crazies out there. While that may be true, they are my loves. It's my blog. I have fun with it. When it ceases to be what I love, I want do it any more. Kudos to you for sharing your heart. I know no other way.

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  16. I don't want a new house. I want character and practicality.

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  17. You say what I think...but with a whole lot more eloquence and humor!

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  18. I miss the old blogging days. I've slowed down considerably on my lifestyle blog just because it doesn't seem as much fun anymore; but I've amped up my quilting blog. The quilting blogs as a community seem to be similar to what the decorating blogs were five years ago. Interesting how things go! Thanks for always being honest. Sally

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  19. Preach it, sisters! :) Seriously, your honesty is refreshing, Rue, and the "think about it" behind the humor is very straightforward. I couldn't agree more, my dear, and I greatly appreciated and enjoyed this post. Our blogs are definitely a place to be ourselves. My blog has always been a place to share what I love: crafting, old hymns, sewing, tea cups, and recipes.....I hope it stays that way :)

    Bless you, sweet lady! Hugs!

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  20. Rue thank you for your visit and your message that touched my heart. Then you posted this and I knew even though I will only be blogging for 2 yars in a few months my heart was meant to blog. I entered into it at a very difficult emotional time trying to come to terms because of loss. Quickly I felt embraced by the kindness and honesty of many blogging friends. I am an artist/designer. I've done all styles of interiors for people and love them all, especially ones that welcome and speak to your comfort level and heart. I'm not cookie cutter in any way ... I share photos of our row home, I write words of substance and end with a poem, blogging for me is a pleasurable way to share and engage in new ideas, new understandings, hopefully learn and leave readers of my blog feeling I care.
    We purchased our home in 1979 and John and I did a gut job and slowly turned it into a home with a soul. Our kitchen was completely remodeled in 1981 throughout the years we have added things to freshen it up, April - July we embarked on a update to our kitchen and a build of a laundry room. We gutted and did our bathroom originally in 1984 and 3 years ago as in my style of blending the old with the new, living with patina and the natural age that occurs we did an update to the bathroom, nothing huge but improved. Rue I read your post nodding in agreement about a few bloggers out there who constantly remodel and all I can say is A. My pockets are not that deep B. Dirt, grime and debris drives me insane C. I love and feel fortunate to appreciate and live with our eclectic textural mix.
    I applaud bloggers who share their time and share from the heart.
    xo,
    Vera a kind of newbie blogger!

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  21. What can I say that hasn't already been said by you (GREAT post, BTW!) and the other commenters? I am so with you all. I can't afford to re-do anything every year and even if I did have the money, I wouldn't want to either! I may not have a ton of followers on my blog and that's perfectly fine by me. I'm not in competition with anyone to get thousands of followers. My blog is a reflection of my everyday life and passions and I love making blogger friends and having that sense of community. You don't get that with the Big Bloggers. There are still a few Big Blogs I like looking at once in awhile just for some decorating and design inspiration, but that's it. I don't follow them or feel they are a blogging friend. Have a beautiful day, Rue!

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  22. I think there are several types of "decorating" bloggers and I have no gripe with any of them - do what makes you happy.

    I blog because I like to decorate, have fun creating and sharing what I make and enjoy the friendships formed through blogging. My projects come about because I want to change things, not because I want something to blog about.

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  23. I have quit reading many blogs because of all the decorating, competition, and advertising! I don't visit blogs for that. Yes I have gotten an idea or two from such blogs, but for the most part, I never visit again. I love to read about every day life and that is how I blog. It's crazy, this new blog world! I love your blog because I get a glimpse of the past and how you share just enough about your life to make others feel as if you are a neighbor just down the road. Keep it real, Rue! That's what I like to see!

    Grace & Peace

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  24. I have to admit that there are some decorating blogs that I still love and think it's great that they are able to make a living at it. LIving in an old home though where things like furnace, windows, electrical have to be updated there is very little decorating besides little things like painting going on. I try to stay with decorating that's not going out of style in a year or two. I'm not a decorating blog, but do enjoy reading some of them.

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  25. I've never been much of a decorator so I do enjoy looking at blogs where people actually really care what their place looks like (I care but not enough to decorate my home in a beautiful way) ... but it does seem like SO many people are constantly decorating or when they have it just like they want in renovation - they sell and start over. I'd rather be out on a hike looking at beautiful wildflowers like those in your GORGEOUS photos in this post. I also like to walk by people's houses and if it is late afternoon and lights are on and windows wide open - that is one of my favorite things to do on walks - be a voyeur and make up stories about their lives...in my imagination only.

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  26. Great post, Rue. I can't imagine starting rooms over and over again...it takes us forever to do it the first time lol. We've been trying to get our sunporch finished off for 10 years, and have been trying to finish redecorating the interior rooms that we last did 15 years ago. I'd be way too tired to start all over again after we finally had it done...I think I'd move. I do enjoy re-doing hutch shelves, changing out colors for the season, and crafting...way too much of the antique dealer still in me...
    But I do understand that for some bloggers, they are making a good living from what they do, and I admire them for the hard work they have put in to get there.
    I follow many types of blogs...all inspire me in some way...and I would hate it if we were all the same.

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  27. I've seen quite a few of those blogs and don't understand how they can do it or how they can afford it! They wear me out! I was having this conversation with someone a few weeks ago...I was just astounded! I do like to put things down and have a pretty good layer of dust accumulated on it before I move it again....or before the hubster moves the entire house again, which lately is pretty frequently...LOL. That's usually change up enough for me. The half bath will get some perks in the new house, but that will be some paint, some added storage and an old-style board/batten look, which is something I love from the old craftsman cottages. Ripping out walls and "gutting"....not this chick...too much for me! :-) Hugs!!

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  28. I have been told that my blog should be "themed" and not so out there. But this suits me so I keep posting whatever I feel like posting! I share me and some of my skills, mostly photography, and hope people enjoy the glimpses. Sometimes I write about my woes, or my happiness's, or photographs I take. Sometimes it is on a movie I have seen or a book read or a poem I have written. Sometimes I vent. Sometimes I show some of my personal space or garden or crafting. I use my blog to share.

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  29. Several of the bloggers who posted in response to your great post today are ones I follow. They are the blogs who aren't "niche" blogs but include gardening, decorating, cooking, DIY, and personal observations when they post. They don't change their mantels out weekly, and for the few years I have been following blogs, none of them have done 12 or more trees at Christmas, (with each being a different theme, and then take all decorations down on Dec. 26) and start planning their themes for next year. They don't go on and on and on about how each breath their child takes is the most amazing breath in the history of children, either. That gets old, too. I do have 2 adult kids, and love kids in general, but some of the over the top things they go on and on about really get to me. We have kids and they grow up.... that is the goal and the outcome we want.
    Anyway....... I loved the idea of your post today. My favorite blogs are those who don't hide every light cord and speck of dust when they post a picture. I don't like reality TV, but I do appreciate reality in bloggers!! Thanks for a great post!

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    Replies
    1. "They don't go on and on and on about how each breath their child takes is the most amazing breath in the history of children" HAHAHAHA!!!! Now, that is funny!

      Thank you for enjoying my blog and with all you said, it makes me happy that you keep visiting :)

      xo

      Delete
  30. I have to say that I agree with you. I read a lot of different blogs so I get a nice variety but the ones that are always about the newest thing they bought or redecorated do make me feel inadequate! When we moved into our home 19 years ago we did all the downstairs rooms and it was a lot! We haven't done anything major (I repainted my kitchen recently) in a long time, and believe me things need to be redone! I just can't compete with all the major, high end decorating going on at other blogs....constantly either! I had to unsubscribe to one that, although it was beautiful, it was so above my budget and out of reach to anything I could ever do that I just couldn't read it anymore! I show my old wallpaper in my dining room when I do decorate and blog about it, because honestly, if I pulled it all off (which I want to do) I'd have a cracked mess of plaster and lathe to deal with. So I leave it. I love your style and your home and I can tell that you are not a snob on decorating and I like that. I guess we all have the option of not following those types of blogs, but there are a lot of them out there!

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  31. while you're at it...how about this minimalism business? Yes , business.Look at the number of books on the subject. I love my stuff. It has taken a lifetime to collect. I want to see use it and enjoy it.
    Now we are all supposed to paint every room stark white. I like white. Just don't ram it down my throat. And so on...

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    Replies
    1. I like it if it's their personal taste. I have some friends that do it and I can appreciate it, but when the next thing they do is go to a completely different look over and over, then I know it's not their true style. I like authenticity more than anything :)

      xo

      Delete
  32. Rue, what a lovely sweet bouquet! I just love wildflowers! =)

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  33. I'm not a blogger, but I am an avid blogger reader. I tend to avoid the blogs that are doing big re-dos because that is not in my future. I like the kind of blog that shows ingenuity, creativity, and is unique in its style. If all you can show me is how much money you have and how many trips to can make to Home Depot, Ikea, Home Goods, Wayfair, and Pottery Barn; then your blog is not interesting to me. Please know that I am not judging them, I just don't read them. I do feel badly for some of the bloggers who seem to be in a race for readers and feel compelled to keep changing things up to keep them. Why not just be yourself? I also tend to like old houses as opposed to new houses as they have so much more charm, interest, and appeal. I love DIY's that inspire me to try them, but if it's a $50,000.00 kitchen redo, it doesn't peak my interest. I also love blogs that do those little organizing segments. I am so unorganized and I look at them and think......I can dream, can't I? And one last thing, some of the blogs I used to read had so much interfering advertisement that I could barely view the pictures. so I removed them from my favorites. Just my opinion with no judgement. :)

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    Replies
    1. I can guarantee you, Sandy, that you will never see me redo my kitchen for 50 grand LOL I'm perfectly happy with my little space and my 1930s cabinets ;)

      xo

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  34. I just re-did my kitchen and love it too much to redo it again....I just want to build memories there...great blog..love your cottage...

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  35. I love your post today!! I'm not a blogger but I enjoy reading blog.....I have quit reading. Several blogs because of the dang add.....and the pop ups...I sure miss the old days of RMS keep up your wonderful blog my friend

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Pat! It's always wonderful to hear from you :)

      xo

      Delete
  36. I just have a humble little one bedroom apartment. I just decorate it, not redo it. It isn't mine to redo. Your flowers are so lovely!
    Brenda

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  37. I loved reading your theory--I am pretty new to blogging so I have not noticed the change but I do notice the decorating thing. I like to paint and transform furniture and so I make my blog mostly about that since it is my passion. I do love decorating too, but I save that for Instagram. Great thoughts!

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  38. Hi Rue, Great post. Well my home will be 25 years old next May. I guess that makes it an antique now. Just recently we have finally finished doing, not redoing a million times over. I can't imagine all that work over and over. I however being a decorator, can't help but decorate and change accents for the season. But ripping out and starting over again no way. I'm pretty much done!! I think you might have started to blog back when I did nearly 9 years ago coming up. Back in the good ole days of blogland. LOL
    Great post. Have a nice weekend. Hugs, cm

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  39. You actually know bloggers who have changed their entire kitchen after a year?!

    It takes me longer than that just to change my bed sheets ;).

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  40. I've noticed the same thing on blogging and that's why I don't come back much. My home is now 20 years old and I'm pretty content with things. I do need to do a bit of painting to freshen things up in the kitchen and my bedroom but no big changes. I love my cabinetry...I better I took a class and built them with my husband! I'm not into fads. In fact, in your last post I saw your floral couch and thought of mine. On RMS if I posted anything in my front room I'd get comments that I had to get rid of that couch! It still was a really good couch and I liked the colors so why not keep it? It's still in my front room but the cushioning is getting soft so I'll have to replace it in a couple of years. I'm a frugal gal so I don't buy new often, I just redo and make do! I love your home and the charm that it displays. You obviously love and take care of your things. I may get back to blogging some day but for now I'm content reading my friend's blogs and keeping up through email. :)

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  41. I'm really not much of a reader of decorating blogs, per se, as I'm really not into decorating. My house is furnished with comfortable and grandchild friendly furniture and is not a showplace. I'd rather spend my money of travel or good food--lol! I do admire beautiful homes and those that DIY with lots of tips and tutorials, but I never do those things myself for the most part, it is more of a voyeuristic thing--like reading a novel and imagining how it mus feel to live that way. I can't imagine anyone changing their home decor or doing renovation construction yearly!

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  42. I don't understand it either. First of all I don't have the money. At all. Secondly, I am the type of girl that keeps things the same for quite a long time. I tweak things a bit until I get them the way I want them and then they stay. I don't think I would like my life to be that disruptive to redo something so big in just one year.

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  43. Your speaking to somebody whose living room furniture is 25 years old! I do look at quite a few decorating room tours so that when I eventually do get (kid friendly) new furniture I'll have some idea how I want to arrange it. The numerous fall home tours out there- forget it! My computer is so slow that it freezes up with all the advertising on the blogs. It's extremely distracting and frustrating and I'd rather not visit those sites. I love to sew and knit, and there are some fantastic blogs out there that give away free patterns and ideas. I like to visit the link parties for the features, since I don't always have time to check out the links myself. There is so much to find out in blogland, but I still prefer a magazine in my hand and a cup of coffee at my side. As for the goal of being featured in a magazine? I've had my chance, but in the end I felt so stressed out about it that I declined. I knew I would think of nothing else but readying our house for months, and life is too short to pass up weekends with our grandchildren visiting or taking our kayaks out on the water during our very short summers. I've been blogging for 5 years (I think) and haven't bothered to join all the other social media that's supposed to increase my followers. Do these women spend the entire day on their computers?! One observation I've noticed is that it doesn't take long for followers to drop off if I need to take time away from blogging when it all gets to be too much. My real blog friends, on the other hand, understand and hang in there. I'm in it for a creative outlet and to just have fun with it! I don't have any advertising on my blog, because if I did, I would feel the pressure to blog more often and it would become another job for me. That being said, I think it's a great place for women who can't work outside the home to make a few dollars or feature their Etsy shops. I'm sure there are more changes headed our way and I hope I can keep up with the technology!

    Great post, Rue!

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  44. I think it's a kind of restlessness some people have. They are never satisfied. It's ok if that it's ok for them.
    As for myself I am not very inclined to constant change, I quite prefer to put things better instead of just changing them for the pleasure of changing.

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  45. I think it's a kind of restlessness some people have. They are never satisfied. It's ok if that it's ok for them.
    As for myself I am not very inclined to constant change, I quite prefer to put things better instead of just changing them for the pleasure of changing.

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  46. My problem is with TRENDS! While I think burlap is cool I don't want a whole houseful of it. Then there is turquoise, suddenly all rooms, doors, furniture is turquoise. I love newsy, old fashioned blogs post, posts about spring cleaning, gardening, crafting, holidays (love holidays) and when bloggers share their UNIQUE style and finds. Many blogs I have removed from my favorites cause they are boring (to me). Keep on doing what you do cause I love your unique home and style.

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    1. You're so sweet to say that about my little world. Thank you, Sue :)

      xo

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  47. I'm not a blogger, but you are right on with what you wrote. I really love the line "there is no competition for a place called home." My favorite reads are the ones like yours that share their homes/ideas as they are. Love the hand picked flowers from your backyard just as they are--they are beautiful without being staged, as is everything you share. LOVE.YOUR.BLOG !

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    1. Well, thank you so much, Joyce! That's very kind of you. I'm sincerely flattered :)

      xo

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  48. A very timely post, Rue, because I've wondered some of the same things myself. Our changes are very limited in scope because we are renters; perhaps that contributes to me not getting it with the constant remodelers. Don't get me wrong, if we did own a place I'd love to make changes to make it more personal, but strongly suspect I'd have no patience for tearing things up again soon after finishing one project. Meanwhile, we have vintage linens and fantastic finds in the realm of lamps, vintage dishes, pictures and the like--those discoveries satisfy my urge for the new just fine.

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  49. Your flowers are absolutely stunning Rue.

    All the best Jan

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  50. I guess I'm fortunately not reading those types of blogs. LOL ;)

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  51. Great post... I especially like your attitude about hoping to influence people to cherish old house.
    Once our architectural heritage is gone, it's gone for good. Heaven knows we've spent over 20 yrs. renovating old houses.
    I'm so glad to have you back in blog land.. .I missed you! I need to add you to my blog list, so that I can read your posts :)
    I used to blog at Cottage On Main, and now I'm blogging at Mill Hill Meadow, but the right blog address is alwaysfixinneversittin. {Changed it to Mill Hill Meadow, when we moved here about 16 months ago}

    Have a sweet week, Rue.

    ~K.

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  52. I'm with you on this one Rue. Our home has been in the process of renovation for more years than I care to count. We have redone it room by room as time and finances allow. We refuse to go into debt to redecorate or to replace windows and things.

    My husband used to work construction and they did a lot of remodels of homes where the homeowners would tear out kitchens that were just done a few years earlier, because they wanted whatever the latest "style" was. While doing that and other rooms, there would be beautiful windows and sliding glass doors that were being taken out so my husband, with his boss's blessing, would bring them home. Between those things and windows we would get on sale, we were able to replace the old aluminum framed windows in our home. My hubby also tore out and laid new flooring, remodeled our 2 bathrooms, and redid our kitchen, all on a tiny budget. We still have our bedrooms to redo, but that is mainly because we want to rip out the very old and dirty carpets and put something in there that is easier to clean.

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  53. Amen, sister. I enjoy the smaller tweaks and additions a lot more than whole room remodels. I like it when a woman is doing it by hand rather than hiring it done. I surf the blogs for inspiration, not to be overwhelmed.

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  54. You do make us all think, Rue!

    I don't think there's any danger that I'll become one of those constant redo blogs! I do wonder if some of them are searching for a true style of their own, that it evades them. The interior designers from the past and present that I most admire do change things, they aren't static because after all it is their business. I think of Mrs. Parish who was such an influence on me back in the 1960s as a young married. She is said to have changed something every day, not complete do overs, just details. Most of the time doing what we now call shopping the house. I like that.

    Just as I think I sometimes cook better meals when finances are tight and I'm creatively searching the pantry and freezer, I know I'm happier when I find something in my house that pleases me more when I move it to another room. I've been doing a lot of that lately while I've been away from blogging. I unplugged from Pinterest during that time too. I stopped looking at anything decor online. Stopped looking at a pretty picture with thoughts of being inspired by it. I went into my own little cocoon and with no music on, no television, no FB, just looked around my own rooms, realizing that my life is written in these rooms. A young friend came to help me last week with some deep cleaning--well, she cleaned and I worked on business paperwork--and I realized how very much I love this old farmhouse. We did many things to improve it over the years and now I'm content with it and do not want any more upheavals. I only want to keep her face scrubbed and put on her Sunday best clothes for every day, use the dishes, crystal and silver that I love because I'm worth the trouble of using them and handwashing them. But no more chaotic changes for this old girl--or for me!

    Love you, sweet authentic, Rue,
    Dewena

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  55. I am completely in agreement here. I do not understand why or where people get the time or the money? My house was built in 1867 and we've lived there for well over 17 years. Between two of us working, raising a kid, cats and chickens, our home will probably never be completely "done". It took almost 14 years to hand paint my cabinets! Where anyone gets the time, money or endurance to constantly redo their house is beyond me!

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